Game Info --------------------------------------------------- Developer: Namco Publisher: Namco Year of Release: 1990 Game Review & Impressions --------------------------------------------------- I'm quite partial to a decent lightgun shooter, so when I stumbled across Steel Gunner online I thought I'd give it a shot. Blasting waves of cyborg droids and hover tanks looked super cool, and being from Namco it must surely be fun, right? In terms of aesthetics, it's definitely up there with the best of them. The artwork and sprite scaling effects are consistently excellent, which makes this one of the best in class for the period of its release. Sound and music are also fantastic, with sampled audio, music and plenty of rumbling explosions. In short, it definitely captures your attention. As for the gameplay, I was less impressed. This game is HARD and offers little in the way of concession or assistance, no power-ups. Unlike similar titles in the genre, there's no visual cue -- either through flashing or some kind of telegraphing animation -- to indicate when an enemy is going to shoot. This makes the experience particularly fraught because the only way to survive is to learn where and when enemies appear, and to be an absolutely crack shot. There's also a perceptible lag between firing your gun and the projectile connecting with whatever you were aiming at; I found I had to lead targets to drop the shots where they needed to land, which takes some getting used to. In my opinion, Steel Gunner would be much more enjoyable in co-op mode with a friend. Twice the cover and twice the firepower would make things considerably more manageable, but the solo experience just feels frustrating. I can't say this issue is unique to Steel Gunner; it is a coin-op after all, designed to relieve you of your cash, but having some power-ups or extra weapons to make things a bit easier would have been a welcome addition. Chapters --------------------------------------------------- 00:00 Attract mode 01:10 Stage 1 04:30 Stage 2 08:30 Stage 3 12:19 Stage 4 15:00 Final boss ... https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=VDbgIKXfMCU

Developed by Special FX and published by Ocean in 1988. Foreword: The music isn't stuck; it really DOES endlessly loop like that...you have been warned! An unidentified being has been spotted circling planet Earth and you've been sent to find out what it is. Unfortunately, it's a giant space creature that swallows you whole, but you fight back by destroying it from the inside out. The game comprises 4 zones, each comprising 4 mazes. Inside each maze, you must find 3 parts to a weapon that can be used to destroy one of the creatures major organs. You must almost find a key that unlocks the door to each organ before you can even fight it. You can find weapons hidden behind cysts on the walls of the creature. Each weapon can kill certain enemies that you come across; fortunately, there is usually a cyst containing the appropriate weapon near where the enemy spawns. It's also possible to find a protective helmet in some of the levels, which helps to reduce damage from enemies and prevents damage from noxious gases that seep from the creature's insides. Even though it's inevitable that you will lose lives, you regularly earn bonus lives for killing enemies and scoring points. Technically, it's a polished title with good graphics and sound collision detection. Unfortunately, endless back tracking and hunting for weapon parts gets pretty boring, so I didn't enjoy recording this. The music is extremely repetitive and is really just 1 short loop (Fred Gray must have been having an off day when he wrote it). Enjoy! #retrogaming ... https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=NCiBkuBLZOc

Developed by Andrew Bailey and published by Firebird in 1986 Follow me on Twitter @ https://twitter.com/Al82_Retro Get Great Retro Scene News @ http://www.vintageisthenewold.com Inspired by Gauntlet, the objective in Druid is to navigate your wizardly way through a series of interconnecting levels, shooting monsters and finding treasure chests. You're equipped with a number of magical spells for dealing with the various enemies you'll encounter, each of which does a varying amount of damage, depending on the monster. You'll need work out which spell is most effective against each monster, as well as ensuring you replenish your powers at each opportunity. Opening a chest presents a one-time opportunity to replenish your spells, or acquire a key for unlocking doors. You can only choose one item, and you'll need to choose carefully because it is entirely possible to end up in an unwinnable state if you run out of keys. You'll also need to grab the chaos spells when they appear, because these will be needed to defeat the enemy sentinels located on the lower levels of the dungeon. Probably the most innovative feature in the game is the Golem spell, summoning what is effectively a bodyguard for the druid. The Golem can be sent basic commands using the keyboard to move, follow or stand still, but it can also be controlled by a second player with another joystick! Druid is a tough game, but it's quite impressive for the time and enjoyable once you figure out what to do. Chapters 00:00 Main menu & music 01:17 Gameplay start #druid #commodore64 #retrogaming ... https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=cepbINMi5cc

Game Info --------------------------------------------------- Developer: Namco Publisher: Namco Year of Release: 1987 Game Review & Impressions --------------------------------------------------- Dipping into Namco's back catalogue, Blazer stands out for both it's not-quite isometric perspective, and decision to put the player in the hotseat of a tank. Each of the game's levels feature winding paths through crumbling ruins, shadowy pine forests and belching chemical plants, each festooned with enemy vehicles, gun emplacements, not to mention the omnipresent threat of bombardment from planes in the sky above. The player's tank has a limited amount of fuel, displayed bottom centre, which drains at a steady pace. Jerry cans of fuel can be found inside boxes secreted around the levels and, rarely, from aircraft you manage to shoot down with your ground-to-air missiles. Located at key intersections are factories where you can upgrade your vehicle. The T2 tank has the ability to shoot in four directions at once, while the T3, a massive howitzer on tank tracks that can demolish opponents with relative ease, plus traverse sandy area with no penalty to movement. Both the T2 and T3 forgo the ability to destroy aircraft, so bear that in mind when making your selection. Each level culminates with you leaving your tank in favour of a chopper, taking to the skies as you move to the next area. You'll need to shoot down enemy forces and bombard ground forces to rack up points, avoiding flak and shells along the way. The first couple of levels of the game are really quite fun, and I was enjoying Blazer up until the mid-game where it became apparent the game was intent on screwing me over. Fuel pickups become ridiculously scarce, which means it becomes near impossible to progress without losing at least one life due to fuel running out. Despite multiple routes through each of the levels, these all suffer the same problem, which makes for a pretty unedifying experience. If you do manage to make it to the final stage, there's an equally unpleasant discovery in store. Passage to the final objective is blocked by a sea mine you need to destroy, but achieving this is next to impossible. The game takes over the directional controls just prior to this point, so the only way to get past this point is to make sure you're situated in precisely the right spot and to fire your weapons so the projectiles are reaching the top of the screen before the mine appears. This is the only way to do enough damage and blow the stupid thing up before before slamming into it. It took me several goes to get this right, and even then it was down to the wire. I find this kind of gatekeeping particularly egregious because it's such a massive middle-finger to the player. It doesn't matter how good you are, the game is going to fleece you. This spoils what is, otherwise, a fun arcade game - a real shame. Chapters --------------------------------------------------- 00:00 Attract mode 00:50 Stage 1 03:02 Stage 2 09:25 Stage 3 15:00 Stage 4 #retrogaming #longplay #arcade ... https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7W3m1vh06Ws